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LE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUE
_________________________________________________________________
Le Monde diplomatique
english edition
July 1998
edited by Wendy Kristianasen
LEADER
Hope in Colombia *
by Ignacio Ramonet
Colombia, one of Latin America's oldest democracies, is still one
of the region's most violent countries where guerrilla movements
are hand in glove with drug traffickers. But the country's
newly-elected conservative government may provide the catalyst
for a new nation-wide drive for peace.
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/en/1998/07/01edito.html
Translated by Ed Emery
ON THE BRINK OF WAR IN KOSOVO
NATO at a loss
by Alain Joxe
After conducting aerial manoeuvres over Albania and Macedonia in
mid-June, NATO is now considering whether to make good its
threats of military intervention in Kosovo. The Atlantic Alliance
was a creation of the cold war, and the internal disagreements
among its members prove it is having a tough time formulating a
consistent strategy for the new world order. The time has come
for the countries of Europe to establish a continental system of
preventive security independent of the United States.
Translated by Barry Smerin
Albania exposed
by Chrisophe Chiclet
The crisis in Kosovo has come at a bad time for Albania's
socialist government which regained power a year ago: the
troubles are being exploited by the anti-communist opposition and
there is also the question of the Kosovar refugees. Prime
Minister Fatos Nano has also failed to tackle the problems of law
and order, economic recovery and democracy. And the government
has come under fire even from within its own ranks on the issue
of corruption.
Translated by Barry Smerin
BITTER FRUITS OF A MIRACLE
When East Asia falters *
by Philip S. Golub
What would have seemed impossible a few years ago is now
happening. Japan is faltering. According to Tony Blair, this is
the greatest threat to the world economy for twenty years. The
whole of East Asia is now being dragged into recession and
financial turmoil which could engulf the entire world. The
restructuring imposed by the West's neoliberal gurus has brought
down Asia's economies - once praised to the skies - and is now
destroying the cohesion of its societies.
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/en/1998/07/04golub.html
Translated by Malcolm Greenwood
IN THE SHADOW OF GENERALS, HIRED KILLERS AND DRUG TRAFFICKERS
Turkey's pivotal role in the international drug trade
by Kendal Nezan
In August 1998 General Ismail Hakki Karadayi comes to the end of
his term as chief of staff of Turkey's armed forces. His five
years in the post have been marked by the growing role played by
military officers in all aspects of Turkey's political life -
including the state-sponsored growth of mafia activities related
to the drugs trade and the murder of opposition politicians and
civil rights campaigners.
ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE IN THE HORN OF AFRICA
Ethiopia-Eritrea, an absurd war
by Jean-Louis Péninou
Background to the conflict *
The war between Eritrea and Ethiopia, which by mid-June had
claimed nearly a thousand lives, has taken everyone by surprise.
It is not an ethnic, religious or tribal conflict or a power
struggle but, rather, an old-fashioned border dispute. American
attempts to mediate have been spectacularly unsuccessful and the
situation is worrying neighbouring countries and destabilising
the region.
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/en/1998/07/07ethio2.html
Translated by Lorna Dale
POWER STRUGGLE IN KIVU
Congolese flashpoint
by Gérard Prunier
Over a year after the overthrow of the dictatorship in Zaire, it
is clear that the country (renamed Congo) is still facing many of
the same problems. The most immediate is the threat of ethnic and
military unrest in the two eastern provinces, North Kivu and
South Kivu. These were the scene of the 1996 uprising that
signalled the beginning of the end for President Mobutu. Despite
all the speeches about conflict prevention, the crisis is not
unexpected.
Translated by Lorna Dale
HALTING THE PROLIFERATION OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
The spectre of bioterrorism *
by Gilbert Achcar
The great powers hang back
by Bruno Barrillot
Conventions and treaties *
Despite the nuclear tests carried out by India and Pakistan,
proliferation of nuclear weapons will remain relatively limited
in years to come. States may however be tempted, particularly in
areas of conflict, to develop other weapons of mass destruction,
such as chemical and especially biological weapons, which are
less costly and easier to conceal. The various international
treaties do not provide adequate control measures: the greatest
threat to our future is now "bioterrorism".
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/en/1998/07/09bio1.html
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/en/1998/07/11bio3.html
Translated by Barbara Wilson
THE TWO FACES OF THE TUNISIAN REGIME
Women's rights, but only for some
by Luiza Toscane and Olfa Lamloum
With Algeria consumed by civil war and Morocco going through a
difficult transition, Tunisia looks like a oasis of stability.
Yet, in spite of appearances, General Ben Ali has been
responsible for the systematic repression of Islamists. Speeches
about women and reformist measures are an attempt to project an
image of modernity and democracy abroad, but they hide another
part of the picture.
Translated by Francisca Garvie
MIDDLE EAST BLUE GOLD
Sharing out the region's water
by Mohamed Sid-Ahmed
Will the war for water be the next major conflict? As consumption
increases and reserves fall dramatically, countries are having to
re-evaluate their assets and future development in terms of their
reserves of "blue gold", and apply contractual disciplines to the
way in which rivers are shared out in a vast Middle Eastern
market. However, there is scope for imaginative thinking in order
to increase the supply of water - and, simultaneously, promote
peace.
Translated by Julie Stoker
FROM WELFARE STATE TO PRISON STATE
Imprisoning the American underclass *
A boom in private penitentiaries
by Loic Wacquant
Prisons in the "free world" are full to bursting point, and
fullest of all are US jails. Over the past twenty years
preoccupation with the virtues of law and order has led to a
toughening of penalties. Worst hit have been those excluded from
the "American dream". The US is constantly tightening its social
welfare budget, but its generosity knows no bounds when it comes
to controlling and incarcerating those whom it has deigned
neither to educate and care for, nor provide with housing and an
adequate diet.
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/md/en/1998/07/14prison.html
Translated by Julie Stoker
GROWING IMPATIENCE WITH THE STALEMATE IN THE PEACE PROCESS
How Europe could put pressure on Israel
by Isabelle Avran
Flying in the face of international criticism, on 21 June the
Israeli government sanctioned a plan which is a de facto
enlargement of the municipality of Jerusalem to reach Israeli
localities situated to the west of the city and settlements in
the West Bank. This decision marks a new stage in Israel's policy
of annexation of the Holy City and totally violates both the
spirit and the letter of the Oslo accords. Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu's intransigence is made possible by the
apparent inability of the United States to exert meaningful
pressure on its Israeli ally. It is now time for Europe to come
to the aid of a peace process that is seriously under threat.
Translated by Ed Emery
(*) Star-marked articles are available to every reader. Other
articles are available to paid subscribers only.
Yearly subscription fee: 24 US $ (Institutions 48 US $).
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